We’ve reached a decorative textured stageCan’t get there without attaining ageBubbling up in our mindPast memories to unwindSo many choices to recallMeans we can two times relish allSelect the fond ones and trash the restLiving the good times twice can be the best!

Isn’t it funny that I can always remember the brand name of my favorite ice cream, but I can’t remember the name of that pill I take to soften my stool? I guess I like things going in more than going out!

We remember what we like or what paints us in a flattering light better than what doesn't. However, strong aversions are retained. You might not remember the name of a bland high school history teacher, but you will never forget the name of the teacher that no one wanted to get.

The trick is to relish good memories and make jokes of the weird ones. On the strange side, I love to tell the story of my mother’s last words to me, her eldest daughter who was not as prim and proper as she was. On her deathbed, she looked at my long bangs that careened down way below my eyebrows and said her last words to me, “You look disgusting.” My reply to my mother who left this earth 20 minutes later was, “Ma, you don’t look so good yourself.”

If you believe that one I'll tell you another one. Pain can be mitigated with alternative truths. The above story lightens sorrow.

The Joys of Selective Memory!

The Facts

The body doesn't seem to have selective memory, just the brain.

You don't forget how to ride a bike, or swim, but you can forget an embarrassing moment or a wrong doing.